How to Feed an Abyss!

Shi Yuan and Lu Tinghan walked side by side in the wheat field, the wind was filled with the smell of hot grass and trees.

Shi Yuan said, "I've never seen a wheat field before."

"This is the largest wheat field in existence." Lu Tinghan said, "Since the establishment of the alliance, Gleaming City has become a food supply place because of its superior geographical conditions, and its name is also derived from this."

"I heard Xia Fang said it before, but I didn't expect it to look like this." Shi Yuan looked around curiously, and asked, "What are those machines?"

They were walking on the small **** at this time, and they could clearly see that the wheat field was divided into different areas. From south to north, one group had just been sown, one group was turning green and jointing, and the other group had been filled and matured. Huge machines are still roaming the fields, spraying water mist, removing weeds, hoeing and loosening the soil, and fertilizing the wheat.

"Agricultural robots," Lu Tinghan replied, "They take care of the wheat fields and save manpower."

Shi Yuan asked again: "Did people tend the wheat fields before?"

Lu Tinghan: "Well, before the alliance realized full automation of agriculture, it was done by manpower from sowing to ripening. Most farmers had to work from dawn to dusk, clean ditches, prevent and control pests, and occasionally natural disasters would affect the harvest. At that time, wheat Its growth cycle is long, usually one to two hundred days, unlike the current selected varieties, which mature in six to seventy days, can be harvested in four seasons, and have high yields in a limited space."

"So that's how it is." Shi Yuan said, "What about after the harvest?"

"After harvesting, they're turned into bread, steamed buns, biscuits, and your favorite noodles."

"Wow! How did you know that?!"

"Food is an important strategic resource, and I always want to know about it." Lu Tinghan said, "But from the perspective of agriculture, I am not a professional, I only know the surface."

"You already know a lot, much more than me." Shi Yuan especially admired him, "...Then why did we come here? Do you like wheat fields?"

Lu Tinghan smiled: "I told you, I think you will like it."

Shi Yuan really liked it here.

He liked such a strange and magnificent sight.

Usually, when he ate bread and noodles, he didn't think about where the raw materials came from. Only after seeing it with his own eyes did he realize the prosperity of human civilization again—they were walking among the fields in the breeze, and Lu Tinghan told him , Since ancient times, how did people select and breed strong seeds, prevent disasters and prevent damage, and how did robots replace manpower step by step, forming a complete system of sowing, caring, and harvesting.

Very interesting story.

From primitive tribes where men plow and women weave, human beings have overcome drought and floods, driving away birds and locusts, to today's fully automated production, a small piece of land can support half of the people in the city. Every time the wheat is harvested, the wheat is loaded onto transport trucks, which drive out of the city one by one to the distant Fengyang City and the main city.

The wisdom of thousands of years is heavy, condensed in the ears of wheat, so heavy that the stalks cannot stand upright, and it is so golden that people can't move their eyes.

Shi Yuan couldn't see the most prosperous alliance.

But it was as if he was sitting in an empty theater auditorium, looking at the stage, imagining the bustling performance with Qin Luoluo, looking at the wheat waves, imagining how people walked on the ridges of the fields in the past, and the sun was hot on their shoulders, A straw hat and a hoe, after turning over the earth, there is a warm smell of wheat and earth. The four seasons reincarnate, endlessly.

He and Lu Tinghan walked through another ripe wheat field.

This is a new breed that has been bred and is half the height of a person.

Shi Yuan stretched out his hand and carefully touched a wheat ear.

The caryopsis is plump, and the slender awns are slightly hard to the touch.

Very novel.

These plants do not mutate, suddenly grow tentacles or secrete venom. They just grow here peacefully and serenely, no different from thousands of years ago.

He felt a unique tranquility.

Walking to the edge of the wheat field, there is a small road at the foot, and there are several red buildings not far away.

On the path, the unique fragrance of the soil floats on the road. Lu Tinghan suddenly bent down, and then put something on top of Shi Yuan's head.

Shi Yuan:?

He reached out and touched it for a long time before he found a small white flower.

The path is very neat, and this may be the only wild flower on the roadside. It is far less beautiful than Xuejian, trembling in the wind, but it is also cute in a different way.

"For you." Lu Tinghan said.

So Shi Yuan smiled.

They walked towards the red building, and as soon as they approached, Shi Yuan smelled the smell of fur.

The outside of the building was guarded by machine guards, and there were soldiers on duty standing on their posts. When they saw Lu Tinghan, they saluted him and opened the door of the building.

As soon as the gate opened, the cows behind the gate turned their heads to look at them in unison, their eyes were big and round, and they were still chewing grass.

"Moo—" they cried, "Moo—"

Shi Yuan:? !

It was the first time he saw cows with his own eyes, and there were still so many cows crowded together, all staring at him. One was so close to him that it poked its head out and tried to bite his clothes.

Shi Yuan:? ? !

Lu Tinghan reached out to embrace Shi Yuan in time, saving his cuff from the disaster.

The feeding is also in charge of the robot, the ground is well-kept, the glass above the head brings in sufficient light, and the feed trough is piled with hay that has been carefully calculated.

Shi Yuan just followed Lu Tinghan and walked between the railings.

Too many eyes fell on him, as if back to the day when he performed on stage for the first time, he was still holding a white flower, curled up the tip of his tail a little nervously, and looked at the cows curiously.

The cows looked at him with equal curiosity.

"Don't be nervous, they don't bite." Lu Tinghan said.

Shi Yuan whispered, "It's because they don't bite people that they are scary."

— it's the infected cows he's not afraid of that will bite, not these curious, mooing, warm and friendly giants.

Lu Tinghan: "... Shi Yuan, you are a bit strange." He paused, and then said, "People in the past could raise many animals, and they didn't raise them together, they raised them from house to house. It's not like now , Many children have never seen chickens, ducks, cattle and sheep with their own eyes since they were born."

Shi Yuan asked, "Why?"

"Because they are rare resources." Lu Tinghan said, "Wheat fields and livestock farms will never be open to the outside world. They will be guarded by the army, and there will be an independent defense mechanism when there is an alarm." He lowered his head slightly, almost sticking to Shi Yuan Ask in your ear, "Want to touch them?"

Shi Yuan had just been attacked by a cow and was still hesitating, but Lu Tinghan had already brought him close to the railing.

A cow was resting its big head on the rail, watching them docilely, flicking its ears.

Lu Tinghan encouraged him: "Try it."

Shi Yuan hesitated for a long time, leaning on Lu Tinghan carefully stretched out his hand, and touched the cow's side face. Its skin was very thin, and the black and white fur was thin and short. He could almost feel the edges and corners of its bones clearly.

The cow flicked its ears, and Shi Yuan's appearance was reflected in its big eyes, staring intently.

Lu Tinghan said, "It likes you."

Shi Yuan: "Wow!"

In the next second, the cow lowered its head and was about to eat the white flower in his hand, Shi Yuan was so frightened that he took two steps back.

When he recovered, Shi Yuan was very disappointed: "It doesn't like me, it just wants to eat my flowers."

Lu Tinghan smiled: "The two don't conflict."

"No," Shi Yuan's tail almost exploded, "This is my flower."

Walking forward like this, before leaving the cow breeding area, Shi Yuan felt relieved and stood at the door looking back.

The cows were still chewing grass and watching him. A little calf leaned over the railing and cried, "Moomoo—"

Shi Yuan also waved at it: "Goodbye—"

After that, they went to other livestock areas.

Shi Yuan saw a lot of chickens and ducks, chubby pigs, and sheep that also like to chew grass.

The ecology of the wasteland is ever-changing and turbulent. Monsters devour each other and reproduce frantically. Unlike here, it is harmonious and full of vitality.

He was full of curiosity about everything. He took some beautiful white duck feathers, listened to the snorting sound of the pig, and touched the newly grown horns of the lamb. It was a pity that Lu Tinghan would not let him touch the goose, saying that he was sure of it. Will be bullied by geese.

"Is the goose really fierce?" Shi Yuan asked.

"Yes." Lu Tinghan told him, "They will hunt you down and eat your flowers."

Shi Yuan immediately dismissed the idea.

Among so many animals, Shi Yuan's favorite is sheep. Sheep like to bark, and they also like to bark after others.

Shi Yuan stood among the white sheep and said, "Baa."

The sheep responded enthusiastically: "Baa baa baa—"

Shi Yuan said, "Baa baa."

The flock of sheep shook the sky: "Baa baa baa baa~~~"

Shi Yuan felt that given him three days, he would be able to compete for the top spot.

If he became the leader, maybe Lu Tinghan would allow him to watch the geese.

He played for a long time before he realized that Lu Tinghan might be bored.

Obviously this trip was to let Lu Tinghan relax, but he ended up playing it himself, Shi Yuan hurriedly turned his head.

Lu Tinghan stood behind him, expressionless. When he was expressionless, his facial lines were always a bit cold, daunting and unshakable, but now it was different, his expression was soft, with a smile in his eyes, and the shattered light fell through the huge glass above his head and fell on his shoulders .

In short, Shi Yuan's goal of wanting him to relax has been achieved.

It was dusk when they finished watching the animals.

Between the livestock area and the planting area, there are roads, sentry boxes, robot maintenance centers and rest stations, and not far from the rest station is a small grass slope.

They went up the slope, sat on the soft grass, and looked around.

The wheat field in the sunset is a dull golden color, the roof of the breeding area has also turned dark red, the robot is still working, or the huge or short body is drawn into silhouette.

"I like it here." Shi Yuan said, still holding the little white flower.

Lu Tinghan hummed.

But maybe the sun is about to fall, the sky is scrambling to escape, and the rich darkness is engulfing the world, engulfing the lush wheat, and engulfing the lively animals.

Everything is alive and well.

Inevitably, everything looks decadent.

Shi Yuan looked at the flowers in his hands, and suddenly remembered what Xia Fang said that day.

Xia Fang took a half-dead rose and said, it will wither, so its beauty is meaningless; we will all die soon, so our struggle is also meaningless.

Shi Yuan thought again of the deep sorrow of the death knell, the weeping in the hospital, the narrowness of the shelter, and the panicked faces of the people. But all creatures will always die, whether it is due to accidents or natural aging, whether it is human beings, wheat, or those chickens, ducks, cattle and sheep.

For Shi Yuan, death is not terrible, it is nothing more than returning to the darkness and continuing to have a long dream.

As for the meaning of life? He never thought about it, and he couldn't refute Xia Fang.

But he gradually realized that "alive" is the most important thing for other creatures. Because death is a blank, nothingness, a pair of hands that can no longer be held. In the years he could not see, cities were destroyed one after another, and human civilization fell apart, creating the present end of the world.

Shi Yuan told Lu Tinghan what Xia Fang said, and asked him: "If you die, will everything be meaningless?"

Lu Tinghan was silent for a while, and said: "When I was still studying, I went to a lecture with my friend."

Shi Yuan listened attentively to him.

Lu Tinghan continued: "The lecturer is a professor of philosophy, and the topic is about moral standards in war, but I was impressed that after the lecture, a student asked him, saying that so many deaths in war made him start Think, if everything is mortal, is it all meaningless?"

"Ah, that's the question I want to ask." Shi Yuan opened his eyes wide.

"Well, you're not the only one who has such questions." Lu Tinghan patted his head, "The old professor answered him that he thought it was biased to use a certain dimension to measure the meaning of objects. Our world It is three-dimensional, and the three dimensions are length, width, and height, creating everything we see. But no one knows what the fourth dimension is, and there are different theories and hypotheses. In the hypothesis of 'four-dimensional space-time', The fourth dimension is time."

Shi Yuan: "Oh..."

This was another new concept that he had never heard of.

"But what I want to talk about is not a serious physical theory." Lu Tinghan asked, "Do you like the flower in your hand?"

"I like it." Shi Yuan replied, "I like it very much."

"Its volume is limited, and its length, width, and height are fixed, but this does not prevent you from liking it, right? You don't need it to expand in three-dimensional space and have an infinite volume to think it is beautiful enough."

Lu Tinghan continued: "The same is true on the axis of 'time', 'birth' is the starting point, and 'death' is the end point, the time of any life is fixed and limited, and cannot occupy the entire time dimension .But like I said before, you don’t need an infinite flower, and you don’t need an infinite life either. The beauty of a flower does not lie in its size, and the meaning of life does not lie in its length.”

He also said: "Furthermore, death or not is relative. Perhaps from the perspective of the fourth dimension, there is no difference between the past and the future, and every time point can be freely shuttled. From this perspective, life and death Mayfly or almost immortal lighthouse jellyfish, there will be no slight difference. Even if it is a second or a microsecond, as long as it happens, it will always exist in time... Shi Yuan, look over there."

Shi Yuan looked to the east.

The wheat waves are golden yellow, the stratus clouds are orange red, and the wind rises from the end of the world to blow the fur of the animals, just like thousands of years ago. They sat side by side at this dusk, looking out, their eyes meeting in the far distance, those huge machines were running endlessly.

The bright light will soon die, the clouds will also dim, and the animals will fall asleep... A certain kind of wonderful feeling still floods Shi Yuan's heart, it is the sense of eternity, it is the profound and profound bearing of time.

He knew that the scene in front of him had happened billions of times.

Lu Tinghan said: "At least for this second, they are eternal."

Shi Yuan stared at the scene in front of him intently.

"So, 'being here' is the most important thing," he said.

Lu Tinghan said: "Shi Yuan, you have to know that there is no answer to this question. Everyone has different ideas, and their views on 'meaning' are even more diverse, so we cannot convince each other." He paused, "I just Said my opinion: Well, I think 'being here' is the most important thing."

"...I see." Shi Yuan looked down at the flowers in his hand, "Thank you for telling me."

They watched the sinking sun side by side.

The flock of sheep in the pastoral area was frightened for some reason and began to bleat in unison. They startled the chickens and ducks not far away, and they sang one after another, making a mess. The wind is blowing again and the wheat is dancing.

Within seconds, they spring to life again.

lively world.

Shi Yuan suddenly asked: "Besides these, what other animals are there?"

Lu Tinghan: "There are many more, which one do you want to ask?"

Shi Yuan said, "Tell me everything, I want to know." He tilted his head and thought for a while, "I've heard of a creature called a deer with horns on its head."

Lu Tinghan: "Yes, they like woods and moss, they run very fast, some have white spots on their bodies, and some have palm-shaped antlers."

"Wow, that must be very beautiful." Shi Yuan thought for a while, "I've even heard of camels."

"People used to ride across the desert on camels with humps that store water and wide hooves to survive in arid areas."

"What about the squirrel?"

"It's a taiga creature, small in size with a bushy tail that eats seeds and nuts."

"Hmm... arctic fox?"

"This kind of fox lives in the polar tundra. Its fur is white in winter and is very beautiful. They like to eat lemmings and berries." Lu Tinghan thought for a while and added, "The polar regions are distributed on two levels of the planet, and there are many ice, and polar night and polar day—six months of night, and another six months of the sun not setting."

Shi Yuan asked about peacocks with beautiful tail feathers, sperm whales in the ocean, emerald hummingbirds, and brave and elegant cheetahs.

There are red crabs in the depths of the pond, eagles on the top of the sky, elephants like to smear wet mud on their bodies, salmon migrate thousands of kilometers to lay eggs...the plants are also strange and strange, the redwood is so strong that ten people can't hold it together, the bamboo It rises several meters overnight, and when spring comes, there will be a rain of peach blossoms blowing on the high mountain, falling on the shoulders of passers-by, and at the foot of the mountain is a black-covered boat with Mu Xinghua, leisurely riding on the clear waves.

Lu Tinghan described them to him one by one.

When Shiyuan couldn't think of any more species of animals and plants, the sun had already set, leaving the afterglow in the sky.

Shi Yuan sighed: "It's amazing, there are so many creatures."

Lu Tinghan: "Yes, this world is amazing, it would be even better if I could see it with my own eyes."

"Will there be such a day?"

"perhaps."

"Do you want to see them too?"

"Um."

"Shall we go together? To deserts, jungles, mountains and polar regions..."

"it is good."

Shi Yuan got the promise, leaning on Lu Tinghan, the tip of his tail waving happily.

He looked sideways at Lu Tinghan again, with bright eyes, as if expecting approval: "...There are so many wonderful things, but none of them are as cute as me."

Lu Tinghan smiled and rubbed his head: "Well, I'm not as cute as you."